This invention relates to a tape cassette attachment device applied to a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, such as a cassette type tape recorder, wherein a cassette holder into which the tape cassette is inserted and held is shifted both horizontally and vertically for attaching the tape cassette at a predetermined tape cassette attachment position in the main body of the apparatus. More particularly, it relates to such tape cassette attachment device wherein the tape cassette is provided on the bottom side of the cassette half with a closure plate for closing reel drive shaft insertion openings and wherein the closure plate is shifted by the tape cassette inserting operation to open the reel drive shaft insertion openings.
Conventionally, a digital audio tape recorder (DAT), making use of a rotary magnetic head device, is employed as the cassette type tape recorder. For protecting the magnetic tape therein as the recording medium, the tape cassette used in this tape recorder DAT has the structure of completely sealing the magnetic tape during non-use when the tape cassette is not attached to the tape recorder. That is, the front side or the tape extracting side of the tape cassette is covered by a front cover that may be turned to open or close the front side, while its bottom side is covered by a closure plate that may be slid to open or close the reel drive shaft insertion openings.
In the above described magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus, such as the digital audio tape recorder, employing the tape cassette provided at least with a closure plate, in order for the tape cassette to be attached at a predetermined tape attachment position fitted with the reel drive shafts, it is necessary to shift the closure plate previously to its opening position to open the reel drive shaft inserting opening before the tape cassette is attached in the tape cassette attachment position.
The digital audio tape recorder employing the tape cassette provided with the closure plate as the recording medium is provided with a tape cassette attachment device whereby the tape cassette is attached to the predetermined tape cassette attachment position as the closure plate is shifted to open the reel drive shaft insertion openings. As this type of the tape cassette attachment device, the present Applicant has proposed the device such as disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 283060/1986 or the Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 147156/1987. In the tape cassette attachment device shown in these Publications, the cassette holder in which the tape cassette is inserted and held is provided with means for opening or closing the closure plate, which is shifted to its opening position as the cassette holder is fed towards the main body of the apparatus to open the reel drive shaft insertion openings. The closure plate is alternatively shifted in operative association with the operation of inserting and retaining the tape cassette in the cassette shifted to open the reel drive shaft insertion opening. Meanwhile, in the tape cassette attachment device for attachment of the above described tape cassette provided with the closure plate, it is necessary that, after the closure plate is shifted to open the reel drive shaft insertion opening and the tape reel in the tape cassette is enabled to engage with the reel drive shafts of the recording/reproducing apparatus, the cassette holder holding the tape cassette be shifted towards the tape cassette attachment position.